Ladd Springs (Ladd Springs, Book #1) (22 page)

Nightfall
was submerging the forest around them, injecting the air with a crisp chill. Trees
emitted their fragrance, the scent accentuated by the hint of humidity. Showered,
Delaney felt one step removed from the day. Her body hurt, but the shock was
finally wearing off, reality settling in. “Amazing how life can change so
drastically in the span of twelve hours, isn’t it?”

“It
is,” Nick agreed. After a trip to his hotel, he too was freshly showered and
cleanly shaven. And he smelled good, Delaney mused. He smelled good and he
looked good.

“It
doesn’t seem real that Ernie is going to die so soon.”

“It’s
a shocker,” Nick commented bluntly.

Delaney
cradled the glass in her lap and turned to him. Was he being sarcastic? “We
knew he was sick, but only months to live?”

Nick
cast a look of reproach. “You knew?”

“Yes.”
But staring down the actuality of his death felt entirely different.

“I’m
surprised you’re so concerned,” Nick said. “It’s not like there’s a whole lot
of love between you two.”

“True.”
Delaney considered the observation. Nick didn’t appear to be insensitive on the
subject, simply immune to the significance. Could it be they viewed things
differently in Montana? “You have to understand,” she said. “Ernie’s family. He
loves Felicity,” she asserted. “That counts for something.”

It
counted for a lot. Though she could see how someone might not understand. Delaney
sipped from her wine. Unless you were raised in these parts, it did seem kinda
strange, this love-hate relationship they shared.

“Well,
Felicity’s an easy girl to love.”

Delaney
smiled. “She is. But she’s his blood. She’s Susannah’s granddaughter, and he’d
never abandon her. He could have turned us out onto the streets, but he didn’t.
For that, I’ll always be grateful.”

“Does
Felicity know about her father?” Nick asked.

“About
the drinking, yes. She doesn’t know that he hit me.” The first hint of
disapproval entered Nick’s eyes and she defended, “He’s her father, Nick. I
don’t want to tarnish him in her eyes any more than I have to. It hurts enough
to know he doesn’t come to see her. Do I really need to add insult to injury?” No
pun intended, she mused.

He
hesitated, and she saw a myriad thoughts pass behind his eyes. “I’ve found that
honesty is always the best course,” Nick said.

“You
don’t have kids. A child changes things, changes you.” She paused on the
thought. “Did you ever want children?”

“Never
seemed a good fit for my lifestyle. I don’t stay in one place very long.”

Delaney
stared into the bowl of her wineglass. The statement cut through the fog of the
day with surprising clarity. Nick moved around. He didn’t settle. He didn’t
reside in one locale. He went where ever the next hotel was going up. That was
his lifestyle. She set the glass on the wooden table between them.
Foolish
to get tied up with a man like that
. Delaney stood abruptly.

“Where
are you going?” he asked, mild alarm in his voice.

“I’m
tired,” she lied. “It’s been a long day.” She tried to inject humor into her
tone, but fell short.

Nick
stood and came to her.

“I
appreciate everything you did today,” she said, realizing at once how
completely inadequate her words were. She came close to losing her life this
afternoon and if it weren’t for this man, she might not be alive this minute. Felicity
would be without a mother. Tears swamped her lids. “I don’t know how to thank
you.” She felt her voice break. “You didn’t have to risk your life for me,
but—”

“I
did,” he whispered, and cupped her face. “I would have killed them if they
harmed you. With my bare hands.”

Delaney
turned her face into his palm and breathed in the scent of him, the feel of
him. His skin was soft, warm. Nick leaned down and kissed her cheek. Slow,
supple, his lips sought hers and kissed them. The surprise move buckled her
knees.

“Nick,”
she protested, uncertain as to why she felt the need to stop him.

He
gathered her into his arms. “I want you, Delaney. From the first day I saw you,
I’ve wanted you.”

She
remembered that first day. Rugged, strong, he was a natural in the forest. At
the time she had viewed him more as a threat than an object of desire. But his
appeal hadn’t gone unnoticed. Delaney had been drawn to his smoldering dark
eyes from day one, the sheer strength of him, the power he exuded. Nick was a
big man, all man and she yearned for a connection with him. A lasting one.

He
stared into her eyes, his as black as night. Delaney shivered. It felt as if he
could see right through her, could see that she wanted him and planned to take
full advantage. “Do you want this as much as I do?”

Old
animosities, old doubts bombarded her brain.

“Do
you want me, Delaney?”

“Yes,
but…”

“Is
it that man’s words today?” His eyes searched hers. “Did what he say bother
you?”

“What?”

“The
gold, Delaney,” he said, as though she were playing dumb. “Do you think I know
of more gold and I’m not telling you?”

“No.”
Incredibly, she had forgotten about it. But now that he mentioned it...did she?

“The
truth,” he said.

“I
didn’t know you knew about the first location,” she hedged.

“I
told you, I didn’t until today. And if you recall, there wasn’t exactly time to
tell you about it.”

She
surrendered to a small smile.

“Jeb
is a liar.” Nick declared. “He’d say anything to save his skin, you need to
believe that.”

“Why?”
she asked without thinking. “Why do I need to believe it?”

Nick’s
eyes became hooded. “Because if you and I are going to be together, we need to be
honest with each other.”

Be
together
?
Her lips trembled under his hot gaze.

“I
don’t know about any other veins, Delaney. In fact, I doubt their existence. From
what the jeweler told me, it’s a fluke that you have the one.”

Her
research indicated the same, yet there it was. Gold on Ladd Springs.

“Either
way,” Nick said. “I don’t know about any other gold and if the gold that is
here, it belongs to the Ladd family. Ernie, you...and Felicity. I’m not
interested in plundering you.” He dipped his head down and kissed her. “I take
that back,” he murmured, hovering inches from her. “I do want to plunder
you—your body.”

Longing
curled her toes.

“What’ll
it be, Ms. Wilkins? Are you up for a night you’ll never forget?”

Nick
was asking to make love to her. He wanted to cross the line from whatever it
was they were to lovers. Delaney’s eyes shot to the loft where Felicity was
sleeping. He smiled. “I can be quiet.” He pecked her nose. “Can you?”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Nick
left at sunrise, per Delaney’s strict orders. Where he and Felicity might see
no harm in her having “someone” in her life, she wasn’t about to move the man in
after one night. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Lusty desire
pulled at her. But a future together?

It
was too much. It was too soon. There were too many things to see about before
she started entertaining a new relationship, the first of which was Ernie. Delaney’s
chest constricted. The thought of Ernie dying unleashed a tide of memories. It
took her back to the last days of her mother’s life, when she knew the end was
near. It had been agonizing for Delaney, yet her mother had been oddly calm, as
if she knew. She hadn’t told Delaney she felt it was time. She’d said her
goodbyes earlier in the day, when Delaney had brought Felicity by for a visit,
and those were the last words they shared.

Felicity
had been six at the time and during the visit, drew pictures of heaven and God
for her grandmother, as if she knew, and wanted to assure her all would be
well.

Delaney
had simply talked. She shared her heart, shared her dreams. It was the only
thing she could do at that point. When Ashley told her the next day her mother
was gone, Delaney had been crushed. Her mother didn’t include her in her last
moments?

Ashley
told her Susannah wanted her daughter’s last memories to be of life and love,
not death and sadness. Did Ernie feel a sense of calmness as his last days
neared? Had he told Albert, the one person most likely to be at his side?

Delaney
shook her head and wrapped the last loaf of cornbread, sliding it into the
paper bag with the others. It wasn’t hers to decide. What mattered is that they
were here for him, that they made sure his last days on earth would pass as
easy as possible.

At
the sound of Felicity’s arrival home from school, Delaney set the bag of bread
aside and reached for a plate of fried gizzards. “Don’t take your boots off,”
she called out. The bread was still warm and she wanted to hurry and get the food
over to Ernie, but she had been waiting for her daughter.

Felicity
poked her head inside the door. “Did you call me?”

“I
did,” Delaney said. “Keep your boots on. We’re going to Ernie’s.”

Lifting
her nose, Felicity sniffed the air. A gleam entered her eyes. “Chicken
gizzards?”

“They’re
his favorite.” Delaney rarely made them, due to the odor. Since the cabin had few
windows to open for ventilation, the scent had a way of soaking into every nook
and cranny, lingering for days. But if fried gizzards couldn’t bring a smile to
Ernie’s face, nothing would. “I want you to come with me,” she told her
daughter.

“Okay,”
she replied happily.

The
two headed down the path. In the open clearing, Felicity stopped just shy of
the creek. Placing a boot on the bridge she stared at her mother. Clouds passed
overhead, the babble of water the only sound between them.

“What?”
Delaney asked her.

“Should
we say we know?”

“Why
wouldn’t we?”

“Well...”
A light breeze blew the hair from Felicity’s face as concern crowded her gaze. “Didn’t
Ashley say she wasn’t supposed to know?”

“Foolishness.
I know, and he’s going to know I know.”

“Are
you sure? Don’t you think he might get mad?”

Delaney
wanted to laugh. “Let him. Ernie gets mad at everything.” Ornery old
fool
.
But it was probably his temperament that had kept him alive this long.

“If
you say so.” Bag of cornbread in hand, Felicity fell into step and followed her
mom over the arched wooden bridge and to the house. Up the steps they trekked
and Delaney rapped on the screen door. “Ernie!” Without waiting for a reply,
she entered.

Albert
looked up from his chair. He spied the plate in her hand and his eyes lit up. “You
brought us some vittles?”

“Gizzards
and cornbread,” she told him. Glancing up the stairs, she asked, “Where’s
Ernie?”

Ernie
hobbled out of the kitchen, cane in hand. Pounding the end of it onto the floor
he said, “I’m right here.” When he saw Felicity, his demeanor softened a
degree. He glanced between the women and asked, “What do you want?”

“We
brought you some food.”

He
eyed the plate and bag like they concealed a rattlesnake. “What for?”

Delaney
walked over to him and lowered her voice. “We know about...your condition.”

Ernie’s
eyes nearly burst from his skull. His skin flushed red as he demanded, “Who
told you? That’s privileged information!”

“Doesn’t
matter. We know and we’re here for you.” She extended the plate toward him. “We
made you some gizzards and cornbread.”

Felicity
took that as her cue to approach. “Here, Uncle Ernie.” Her voice broke, tears
lined her eyes. “Fresh-baked cornbread.”

“I
didn’t want nobody knowin’ about this!” he wailed.

Delaney
tried to calm him. “It’s okay, Ernie. We’re family.”

“No
it ain’t!” He jabbed a crooked finger toward Felicity. “Look at her! She’s
cryin’!”

Felicity
had a heart of gold but not an ounce of stoicism to her name. “She’s upset. As
am I.” Delaney inwardly shrank from the wrath twisting his features. The man
look possessed.

“No
you’re not! You want me dead! Don’t lie. You think you can take the property easier
without me in the picture!”

“Ernie,
stop
.” Delaney swept a glance around the room, set the plate down on the
dining table to free her hands, in the remote possibility she needed to defend
herself from physical attack. “We’re here because we
care.
”

“You
don’t care about me—never did!”

Felicity,
bag clenched to her midsection, stood shaking, an utter look of horror pasted
on her face. By contrast, Albert sat placidly in his ratty chair, hands folded
over his enormous coverall-clad stomach.

“Please.”
Delaney tried to quiet Ernie. “Can’t you see you’re upsetting her?”

His
eyes tore into Felicity. Visibly struggling with his emotion, he worked hard to
reel himself in, his thin lips trembling. To Delaney, it looked as if Ernie had
so many things he wanted to say to her, so many things he wanted Felicity to
know. Then his gaze turned glassy red, and Delaney’s heart ached at the sight
of him. Even from ten feet away, she could hear him breathing, his breath raspy
and labored. For the first time, she recognized the signs of physical stress. Ernie
didn’t have long.

For
a long moment, the old man stood rigid in place, looking from child to mother,
mother to child. Delaney wanted to intercede, to placate him, but how? It was
obvious what he thought of
her
. For a long moment, the old man stood
rigid in place.

“Ernie,
we do care,” Delaney insisted, keeping her plea soft, non-threatening. “We’ve
had our differences, but it doesn’t mean we don’t care what happens to you. We’re
family
.” Doesn’t that mean anything to you? she wanted to ask, but
refrained. Her goal was not to provoke him. It was to provide compassion as he
faced his last days.

Ernie
stalked over to his recliner and took his seat in silence.

Did
she dare try and take a seat herself?

Felicity
suddenly walked straight over to her great uncle, leaned over and kissed the
top of his bald head. “I love you, Uncle Ernie.”

Tears
swamped Delaney’s lids.

Felicity
set the cornbread down on the coffee table before him and asked, “Would you
like me to go get my flute?”

Ernie
didn’t respond.

Albert
asked hopefully. “Is that cornbread, you got there?”

“It
is,” Felicity answered him. She wiped her eyes and placed it on the sofa table.
“There’s enough for you two to share. If you’d like, I can bring down some more
later, when I come to play my flute.” She turned to Ernie. “If it’s okay with
you that I still come...”

He
looked up at her and Delaney swore he was about to cry. “Of course I want you
to come play for me, child.”

Felicity
smiled. “Thank you.”

If
her daughter had won the Nobel Peace Prize, Delaney wouldn’t have been more proud
of her. Her daughter was strong and selfless, gracious and generous—but mostly,
Felicity was pure love. Delaney went over, wrapped an arm around her shoulders
and admired how her slender frame stood erect and firm within her grasp.

Ernie
hardened as he turned his attention to Delaney. “Ain’t you gonna tell me about
our court date?”

“I’m
not,” she returned quietly.

“Why
ain’t you?” he demanded, as though angry she wasn’t rising to the bait.

“It’s
not important.”

Ernie
practically came out of his chair. “It sure seemed important last week!”

She
nodded. “That was last week.”

Ernie
scowled at her. “I don’t believe you.”

She
shrugged and bowed her head, defeat settling heavy upon her shoulders. Demanding
that a dying man head to court, so she could fight him for title to the
property didn’t seem right. His last days should be spent with family, but in a
good way, not haunted by feuds and greed. The police had called this morning
and informed her that Clem was in custody and she could pick up her backpack at
the station.

With
Clem out of the picture and in no way able to get his hands on the property,
Delaney had to resign herself to the facts. If Ernie wanted to will the
property to Felicity, he would. If not, who else? Jeremiah? Albert?

It
was out of her control. But either way, fighting her mother’s brother to the
edge of his grave was not going to happen. Delaney turned to go. Felicity
turned with her.

“You
can’t pay the taxes,” Ernie muttered behind her. “You want this place so dad-burned
bad, but you can’t even pay for it.”

Pay
the taxes?
Delaney pivoted slowly, a slew of resentment rising hot in her breast.

“Do
you even know how much they are?” he asked.

“Do
you mean yearly, or the balance you haven’t paid in the last three years?” she
asked, unable to keep the anger from slipping into her tone.

“I
got better things to do with my money,” he grumbled.

“
Than
pay the taxes
?” she asked, incredulous to his total disregard.

“I’m
donatin’ my money to breast cancer.”

Delaney
almost fell over. The breath emptied from her lungs. She grabbed hold of
Felicity, as though she needed to steady herself.
Breast cancer?
Was he
serious?

Ernie
looked away, avoiding the onslaught he must surely expect to be slung at him
this very minute and with good reason. Breast cancer killed his sister. The
same breast cancer diagnosis he refused to believe, the treatment he refused to
fund. Yet now he was going to support cancer research with the money that
should be going to property taxes? Taxes to save the property he’d promised to
bequeath to his sister’s daughter and granddaughter?

Delaney
felt nauseous.

“Mom,”
Felicity asked. “Are you okay?”

“I’m
fine,” she replied, sadness curbing her anger. “Fine.”

Ernie
reached over to the side table alongside his chair and pulled a white envelope
from the lower compartment. He thrust it toward her. “Here.”

“What’s
that?”

“What
you’ve been wantin’ so badly.”

Delaney
walked over and took the envelope from him, turning it over in her hands. There
was no name, no address. It was completely blank.

“It’s
title to the land.”

Delaney’s
jaw went slack. Was he kidding? Her eyes went quickly to Felicity as she slid a
shaky finger to loosen the flap.

“It’s
in Felicity’s name,” he said pointedly. “It belongs to her, not you. And she
don’t get it until I die.”

Delaney
looked inside and couldn’t believe it. Was the title to Ladd Springs really
inside this envelope she held?

Felicity
placed a hand to her forearm. Comfort. Solidarity.

“But
I ain’t payin’ the taxes,” he said, avoiding any eye contact with Felicity. “Them
there is your problem.”

“But
why, Ernie?” Delaney asked. “Why give us the property now, after all this time,
after everything we’ve been through?” It didn’t make sense. None of it made any
sense.

Delaney
received no answer. And in that moment she realized she never would. Most
likely, Ernie didn’t have an answer to give. He’d made his choice back when his
sister was alive—for inexplicable reasons—and he was doing so again. Poor
choices, good choices, did anyone know what drove them to act as they did?

Delaney
dropped her gaze to the envelope in hand. Excitement bloomed. Felicity could go
to college and stay in college, get the training for the career she wanted to
pursue! When Delaney looked up at Ernie, she felt the urge to hug him. Instead,
she gave the nod to Felicity.